Proven Ways to Enhance Your Tenacity & Willpower

5 minutes

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Te-nac-ity: the quality or state of being tenacious. Persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired.

Will-pow-er: the ability to control one’s own actions, emotions, or urges. (A) strong determination that allows one to do something difficult.

These are defined were produced by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Explore the essence of resilience through tenacity and willpower, embodying relentless pursuit and strength. Despite obstacles like apathy, depression, and poor health, understanding autonomic function and emotional well-being empowers us. By optimizing sleep, managing stress, and embracing discomfort, we pave the way for growth. Through “micro sucks,” we challenge ourselves and reinforce positive behaviors, embarking on a journey of transformation towards a better self.

What Causes Us to Lack These Qualities?

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Apathy and the Stagnation Trap

It’s the feeling of indifference that makes starting or maintaining new habits seem like an insurmountable challenge. Whether it’s a health and fitness regimen, a commitment to learning, or a career shift, apathy’s grip can keep us immobilized.

Depression’s Weight on Progress

When depression takes hold, it can drain the wellspring of motivation and willpower. Simple tasks can become herculean feats, and even maintaining existing habits can feel like an uphill battle. Yet, even in the depths of depression, tenacity can play a role in guiding individuals toward the possibility of recovery.

Being Physically Unhealthy

The lack of exercise can also be a proponent in whether or not we have the willpower to do certain tasks that don’t seem that desirable.

What Tools & Protocols Can You Use?

Autonomic Function

First, what is the autonomic nervous system and its function?

According to the National Institute of Health, “The autonomic nervous system is a component of the peripheral nervous system that regulates involuntary physiologic processes including heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, and sexual arousal.” (National Institute of Health)

Your autonomic health is very important in how you engage tenacity and willpower. For example, your sleep quality greatly impacts how much or how little tenacity and willpower you have.

Overall, when we are either sleep deprived, in physical, or emotional pain, and when we’re distracted, tenacity and willpower are non-existent.

Managing proper sleep and stress levels are some of the most important components for maintaining peak tenacity and willpower.

Below are a couple of links to begin understanding how to optimize sleep and stress:

Physical & Cognitive Exercises

Studies have found that low-intensity cardiovascular exercise increases your anterior midcingulate cortex, which is where willpower and tenacity reside.

Andrew Huberma also points out, that to increase your tenacity and willpower across domains for both cognitive, physical, as well as emotional endeavors, you should be engaging in some kind of exercise that you don’t enjoy engaging in.

He explains that “. . . if, for instance, you love cold showers and ice baths . . . it’s very unlikely that taking cold showers or getting into an ice bath is going to increase your level of tenacity and willpower further.”, but it will maintain it.

“Micro sucks” as Andrew Huberman calls it. By adding or subtracting something that makes the task at hand more difficult and is something you don’t enjoy will help increase your anterior midcingulate cortex. For instance, not looking at your phone while at the gym, or adding 100 jumping jacks at the end of a run are examples of “micro sucks”.

This doesn’t just apply to physical activities. You can also apply this in other situations either in your cognitive, or daily routines as well.

Below are a couple other resources that involve cardiovascular health that can increase your tenacity and willpower.

Utilizing a Reward System

When you begin to increase your tenacity and willpower, through some form of resistance, rewarding yourself after the fact “… can serve to further reinforce the behavior that you just engaged in, which was to increase your tenacity and willpower.” (Andrew Huberman)

Conclusion

In the journey toward enhancing our willpower and tenacity, explore these strategies of obstacles and reinforce the foundations of change. Whether it’s battling apathy, addressing depression, or managing motivation, tenacity and willpower serve as the steady hands guiding us forward in the pursuit of our better selves.

Explore the additional links we provide on cultivating tenacity and willpower; achieving lasting personal growth.

A better you starts today!

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